FSU Biology - Faculty Research Interests - Developmental Biology and Gene Expression

Developmental Biology and Gene Expression

  • Hank W. Bass
    Meiosis in higher plants; telomere dynamics; molecular cytology; maize chromatin, nuclease sensitivity profiling, G4-DNA, and genome replication. Work primarily on maize.

  • Hongchang Cui
    Cell fate specification and reprogramming in plants; evolutionary and developmental biology; plant-environment interaction; genomics and epigenomics; proteomics; molecular genetics.

  • Jonathan H. Dennis
    The biology of chromatin involved in the innate immune response.

  • James M. Fadool
    Using zebrafish as an model system, we investigate genetic & cellular mechanisms regulating photoreceptor development, patterning, retinal degeneration and regeneration.

  • Jian Feng
    Epigenetic regulation of neuropsychiatric disorders

  • Kathryn M. Jones
    I study the symbiotic interaction of nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria with legume host plants: 1)How bacteria manipulate their environment during host plant invasion such that the plant not only permits entry, but provides an invasion pathway for them; 2)Why the interactions of specific strains of Sinorhizobium with particular Medicago truncatula plant ecotypes are more productive than others; 3)How plants direct resources to productive symbionts at the expense of unproductive ones (cheaters).

  • James Jordan
    Epigenetic regulation of metabolism in health and disease.

  • Karen M. McGinnis
    Epigenetic gene regulation in maize.

  • Guangxia Miao
    My lab focuses on complex cell behavior, specifically the movements of cells from one place to another. We use fruit fly as the model system.

  • M. Elizabeth Stroupe
    The Stroupe laboratory uses cryogenic electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to discover fundamental mechanisms in ribosome biogenesis and sulfur metabolism.

  • Hengli Tang
    Virus-host cell interactions; Stem cell-based models for viral infections; Cell biology of flavivirus replication.

  • Amy Webster
    Using C. elegans as a model, we are interested in how differences in gene expression and chromatin can both cause and predict phenotypic differences across individuals, how these differences interact with genetic and environmental variation, and how heritable epigenetic effects may shape populations on short and long timescales.

  • Fanxiu Zhu
    Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV); viral evasion of the host innate immune responses; viral modulation of the host kinase signaling pathways; role and assembly of KSHV tegument proteins.


Our research focuses on the molecular bases of gene function and processes that control development. We use classical, modern, and unique model systems to analyze the mechanistic bases of gene expression and regulation, establish relationships between the structure and function of gene products, and investigate how organisms integrate multiple signals during development. Well-staffed core facilities in the Department of Biological Science, close work with associated departments/programs (e.g. Chemistry Department, the Institute of Molecular Biophysics, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory), and new initiatives in computational biology and medical sciences afford access to state-of-the-art research technologies. In addition to emphasizing day-to-day interactions between students and faculty advisors, joint lab meetings and topical seminar series allow faculty and students to present and critique the latest research. Our small but highly productive laboratories provide excellent breadth and balance in graduate and postgraduate training while emphasizing high-quality, nationally competitive research.